Recommended Ritual Slaughter Practices

Ritual slaughter is slaughter done according to the religious
requirements of either the Jewish or Muslim religious faith. The animal
is slaughtered, without being stunned, with a razor sharp knife. When the
cut is done correctly, the animal appears not to feel it. From an animal
welfare standpoint, the major concern during ritual slaughter are the
stressful and cruel methods of restraint (holding) that are used in some
plants. Progressive slaughter plants use devices to hold the animal in a
comfortable, upright position. Unfortunately, there are some plants which
use cruel methods of restraint such as hanging live animals upside down.
At Grandin Livestock Systems, we believe that the practice of hanging
live cattle and calves upside down should be eliminated. For both humane
and safety reasons, plants which conduct ritual slaughter should install
modern upright restraining equipment. There are many different types of
humane restraint devices
available.